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Tips for tracking down the right DJ mixer

By Lou Machin


Although the DJ decks are widely considered to be the most important part of any DJ set, any system would be incomplete without all the other components. With this in mind, you should choose everything from your headphones to you DJ mixer with as much care and thought as you would your turntables.

The DJ mixer is a crucial piece of DJ equipment, used to create DJ mixes and redirect non-playing audio sources to the DJ's headphones. DJ mixers also have crossfaders, which are essential for allowing easier and smoother transitions between more than one audio source.

Some DJ mixers have just two channels, which are used to connect and mix audio, but more advanced versions can have as many as six. There is a line level input and a phono input included in each channel, so that both audio sources and turntables respectively can be connected.

Anyone who is new to the world of DJ equipment will not know which features to look out for in a good DJ mixer. These people should opt for a basic model for their very first DJ mixer, and these will generally be the most affordable options. Even though it is cheap DJ equipment, it will be fine for practising on. When you have honed your mixing skills enough, you can upgrade to a more advanced DJ mixer.

If you've decided that a basic DJ mixer will be sufficient, look for devices which have two phono inputs, two line inputs and maybe even one mic input. The display and controls on your DJ mixer also need to be easy to use and well organised.

Mid-range DJ mixers, on the other hand, generally have three equaliser channels, along with a better crossfader and far more functions and features. When it's time to upgrade to more advanced DJ equipment, you should look for mixers with many premium features, plus more channels and mix levels.




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